Rundgrunnor Barleybeard
Rundgrunnor Barleybeard is a dwarven paladin/cleric played by Micah Berman. He is one of the main campaign player characters Background In the year 537, the head of clan Barleybeard and brewmaster at the Abbey of Moradin, Grunnor Barleybeard, was killed in an Orc raid. His young son, Rundgrunnor, or Nor for short was taken in by Artuk Altarstonn, the most pious Dwarf in Abbey of Moradin and head of of their Paladin ranks. Artuk’s son, Arkun, and Nor became close as brothers, and Artuk cared for Nor as his own son. When he turned 20, he went to study brewing and distilling under his uncle, Oskar Barleybeard, until he was old enough to take over the Abbey distillery at 50. The 4th of the Great Orc and Goblin Wars was reaching a climax around that time, and the Dwarves of Bruehold were called on for aid, as the combined Orc and Goblin threat had become too great to be contained by the rest of Dwarfendom. As was customary, all mature dwarves, regardless of station, gender, or occupation, with a handful of exceptions, marched out from Dulkel Fell. The formidable war party, complete with it’s Paladin and Cleric regiments, was over 3,000 strong. They were confident that once they joined with the main Dwarf army, they would crush the enemy; however, they were betrayed by a clan of Druegar, or Grey Dwarves. In exchange for slaving rights after the war was over, the Druegar had let a large force of Orcs and Goblins into their tunnels and provided the them the location of the Dwarven force. The Dwarves of Bruehold were ambushed at Bloodstone Pass. They fought bravely, yet they were outnumbered and the losses they sustained were great; Artuk and Arkun were killed, along with most of the dwarves that marched from Bruehold. Assigned to Artuk’s personal bodyguard, Nor was by his side when he was struck down late in the battle. As Nor knelt beside Artuk, he was given a charge to keep the religious legacy of The Abbey of Moradin alive. With his dying act, Artuk handed over his holy symbol to Nor. Though their army was all-but obliterated, they were able to deal a devastating blow to the Orc and Goblin armies, and soon after, the war was won. Most Dwarves consider the Battle of Bloodstone Pass to be the pivotal victory of the war. Afterwards, only 200 of the original 3,000 made their way back to Bruehold. The deaths of his adoptive father and brother weighed heavily on Nor, and he resigned his position as brewmaster at the Abbey in order to complete the charge given him by Artuk. He joined the ranks of the Paladins at the Abbey, and spent the next 50 years training under The Old Abbot, along with other, much younger Dwarves - a generation destined to restore the glory (and the numbers) of their ranks. The forces of Druegar and Orcs that fought at Bloodstone Pass became known as the Bloodstone Coalition, and it was revealed later that it was made up of the Orc clan known as the Shadowtusks, and the Druegar clan known as Ashbellow The Old Abbot realized that the age of Bruehold being shut off from the rest of society was over - and if they were to help maintain peace in the land, they would have to be more pro-active. The newly trained Paladins were given three charges aligning with the Paladin’s Oaths: To protect the weak, spread the teachings of the Dwarven faith, and dispense justice. As is customary with Paladins, each new member of the rank would take an Oath when he was ready, and devote his life to upholding one of those three ideals. It’s this Oath that provides a Paladin with his power. Nor travelled from Bruehold to Hallister in search of opportunities to fulfill his promise to Artuk and The Abbey of Moradin. Many of the new Paladins of the Abbey set out on their journeys with open minds - not sure which Oath they would take, but trusting in Moradin to guide them. Most were too young to remember the betrayal of the Druegar and the destruction of their people at the hands of Orcs and Goblins, but Nor remembered; and for him, the Oath of Vengeance was the only path worthy of his journey.